4th of July Food Ideas

We did it again. We had another 4th of July treat day in the office to put our co-workers’ cooking, baking and creativity skills to the test! (Click to see ideas from 2014 and 2013 treat days.) And, we must say, we are pretty excited to share these new 4th of July food ideas with you. They are simple to make, and you can bring them to your upcoming gathering to impress your friends and family.

We started the party with drinks to cool everyone down, using an idea we saw in the Hy-Vee magazine. We put raspberries and blueberries into ice cube trays and froze them overnight. We had sparkling water for our refreshment, but you could easily use lemonade or a favorite flavor of juice. We poured the drinks in mason jars and added our Red Striped Paper Straws for the patriotic touch.

For a main course meal we served a classic favorite, pulled pork sandwiches. For added fun, we personalized our Dots & Chevrons Cupcake Flags with red, white and blue and added a Happy 4th of July message.

Then, we made two pasta sides. One in the shape of the American flag and one using the patriotic colors of red, white and blue. The first pasta salad had one layer of bow tie noodles, and then used mini pepperonis for the red in the flag and cut up mozzarella cheese in cubes for the white in the flag. Black olives became the star portion and the whole salad was dressed with Italian dressing. It was delish!

The other pasta salad was Pasta Caprese featuring the colors red, white and blue. We used blue food coloring in a portion of the noodles and then set mozzarella balls in a circle with tomatoes in the center. A drizzled of olive oil, salt and pepper finished it off.

Fresh fruit skewers with watermelon, blueberries and marshmallows became a quick side dish that added to our 4th of July theme.

We also had a layered jello salad and added sparklers for a little extra pop. The layers were raspberry jello, cool whip and blueberries on top. Easy & fun.

For desserts & treats, we had cheesecake, pie and Popsicles. The pie was homemade by Shelly, and she cut strips and stars from the pie crust to shape as the flag. The fruit is blueberry and raspberry pie filling. Tip: if it gets a little burnt on the edges, use powdered sugar to cover it up!

Shelly also made the cheesecake. Using the same pie fillings to make the American flag and adding big marshmallows as the white stripes. Delicious and beautiful!

We hope these 4th of July food ideas helped get your patriotic wheels turning to create something delicious! If you’re looking for more 4th of July food ideas, visit our Pinterest board and shop Pear Tree for cute party decorations!